Magnetite/poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) and hydroxyapatite/poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) prepared by W/O/W emulsion technique for drug carrier: Evaluation of in vitro release of dexamethasone from composite nanoparticles

Biocompatible polymeric carriers containing inorganic materials for delivering therapeutic agents to a targeted site are promising candidate for drug delivery. Two nanocomposite nanoparticles, magnetite/poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) and hydroxyapatite/poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (Fe3O4/PLGA and HAp/PLGA, respectively), with different weight ratios of inorganics to polymer and different polymer molecular weights were prepared by water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion technique to determine incorporation and in vitro release profile of the small molecule drugs water-insoluble dexamethasone acetate (DEX-Ac) and water-soluble dexamethasone phosphate (DEX-P). The in vitro release for DEX-Ac nanoparticles showed an initial burst release followed by a continuous slower release, whereas DEX-P nanoparticles showed only rapid initial release behavior. [GRAPHICS] .